VISIT THE RESERVATION - Four Bands of Lakota Nation

Message from Tribe | Tour, Hunting, & Fishing | Good River Reservation | Four Bands of Lakota Nation | Native Discovery | Pow Wow Schedule

In 1889, through twists of fate and the intricacies of U.S. Indian Policy, the area that is now officially (and federally) designated as the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation became home to four of the seven bands of the Lakota Nation. Lakota means “allies” or “friends.” It is the name that the people of this area gave to themselves long before Lewis and Clark and other explorers arrived. It is common for Lakota tribes and tribal members to refer to themselves and their tribes with their traditional name, Lakota, rather than their federal name, Sioux. Today, The Reservation is home to people from many different Native and non-Native cultures and races.

The four bands of the Lakota Nation that make up the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation are the:
Mnicoujou-Plants by the Water
Oo'henumpa-Two Kettle
Itazipco-No Bows
Sihasapa-Blackfoot

The other three bands of the Lakota Nation are the:
Oglala-Scatters Their Own (currently live on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota)
Sicangu-Burnt Thighs (currently live on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota)
Hunkpapa-Camps at the Entrance (currently live on the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota)